Third time's the charm!

http://www.youtube.com/user/redlettermedia?blend=1&ob=4#p/u/0/mkxQ6HYDwIA

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!

Hey Kids! My first time blogging twice in one day!!!

I just found this youtube clip, featuring just sound effects from Terminator 2.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlS_Rnb5WM4&feature=player_embedded

It's brilliant! It's beautiful!

I hope it works!

Wait...what's this about no Spidey 4?

Here's what I know...

1) Sony's decided to reboot the Spider-Man franchise because...
2) Sam Raimi's decided to opt out of making Spider-Man 4 because...
3) The script for Spider-Man 4 needed more work to improve than there was time to make the set release date.

I'm gonna go backwards on this:

3) I don't know who's responsible this regarding the script, but if they can't get it right, start over. Don't worry, we'll wait. Especially when it comes to Spider-Man.

2) This is a very smart move on Raimi's part. After the train wreck that was Spider-Man 3 and the fallout over who was to blame, the last thing Raimi needed was another example of putting Time & Producers over Quality and Talent. Let Sony deal with it. I don't blame him at all and hope that in the future, Sony wakes the hell up and lets Raimi do what he does best and leaves him alone to do it.

1) This is a two-part issue.

First, the issue of rebooting the franchise too early is moot because of The Incredible Hulk. It was a better film, which is a big reason why few people questioned rebooting Hulk which, I reluctantly admit, sucked eggs. Spider-Man was a huge success, so naturally a lot of people are scratching their heads and raising a stink wondering why reboot. I'm not saying it will work, or that whatever comes will be better than the first movie, but it has to be better than SP-3.

Second, remember - Sony has to keep making Spider-Man movies within a certain time frame or they lose the franchise, which falls back to Marvel, who despite selling out...BIG TIME...to Disney has made a few kick-ass movies and are making a few more kick-ass movies.

Sony does not want this to happen, so they'll do whatever it takes to keep Spider-Man in their wallet...pocket...I meant pocket. Even if it means talking to James Cameron - God Forbid!

Underworld - Rise of the Lycans

I saw this movie last night after much debate because I was a big fan of the first movie, and a so-so fan of the second. I knew it was a prequel, and I'm all about vampires and werewolves that have nothing to do with teen angst.

But when I saw this, I was surprised by how "ehh-ish" it was.

I saw the female lead, whose name I can't remember now, before in Doomsday, which I thought was pretty good. Here she looks like she's having trouble talking with those fangs in her mouth.

Bill Nighy's best role was in Love Actually.

Actually - I'm not really focused on reviewing this right now as I've been up for less than an hour and I have to be at work for 8 am.

What I am trying to do is post one blog a day. So in that sense, this counts. I promise to get better at this. It's one of my Resolutions of 2010.

Ooops...

I realized I forgot my WTF's fro Identity Crisis #'s 6 & 7. This is because the copy of the TPB I've been reading was from the library, and I get loopy when it comes to returning things to whence they came. Same thing with movies from video stores. I rush through, and lose the enjoyment factor.

Anyway -

Identity Crisis #6, or as I now call it, "The one with the obvious subplot change mid-stream." My other WTF? moment has to be in the very beginning when Tim is running up some stairs while taking off his costume trying to reach his dad.

If I understand this right, Jack Drake and Captain Boomerang are in the same area of the house, bleeding out. The area in question is near/just outside the kitchen. Well, Tim is seen running up some stairs, presumably towards his father. I don't know of any homes with a second story kitchen. Hotels and apartment buildings sure. Duplexes even. But the Drakes live in a single family home. So there's no way the kitchen would be upstairs of anything but the basement.

Now I'll grant the argument that Tim was coming up from the basement where there's a hidden tunnel that leads to the Batcave, or a secret meeting place where Bruce would pick him up in order to maintain secrecy. Okay...but that would mean that Bruce would be dropping Tim off somewhere else, and Tim would be running from there to the house...while in tears...hoping his father's still alive. Meanwhile Batman could just drive up to the house to investigate the crime scene. But Robin has been seen many times right next to Batman at various crime scenes.

Wouldn't it make more sense for Batman and Robin to pull up to the house and enter the crime scene together? It sure as hell would be faster.

This right here supports my theory posted with the review: the whole Jack Drake death subplot was slapped together last minute because DC wouldn't let Jonathan Kent die.


Identity Crisis #7 actually has two. Yeah, they're nitpicks...so what?

1) During the big revelation, Jean tells Ray that Sue's death was an accident, but she "shrunk some other weapons...just in case" Just in case of what? She actually killed Sue? If it was truly an accident, and Jean had spent time practicing, wouldn't she have brought some medical supplies...just in case? Even if it was just enough to keep her alive?

2) Also during the big revelation, all the loose ends are tied...except the note to Lois. Jean doesn't even mention doing it. Plus, near the very end when Clark is home talking to Ma - where's Pa? It's nighttime, so don't tell me Pa's busy plowing the back 40. I'm telling you, he's dead, and the original conversation was about Ma telling Clark to endure and keep fighting the good fight.

My Take on...

Identity Crisis #7

The killer is revealed as the story comes to a close. The ends are tied, the stage is set for the Next Big Thing, and Ralph continues to exist...until 52.

A great story that did what it set out to do, but had potential to be so much more.

My Take On...

Identity Crisis #6

The cover conveys several messages:

1) Bruce grieves for Tim's father Jack Drake.

2) Bruce blames himself for Jack's death.

3) Batman can't believe the writers decided to do this to him...AGAIN!

I understand the whole point of the story is about heroes whose work follows them home. That the dangers they face can turn around and bite them in their collective asses. I get it.

I also understand that key supporting characters had to die in order to prove the point.

But after what happened to Bruce, Dick, Barbara and Tim, did Jack Drake really have to die?

My answer: NO, he didn't.

Here's what I think.

Meltzer's original draft had the killer go after Jonathan Kent. Which makes sense. Lois getting the letter at the end of issue four lead us to believe that she was the next target. The twist would have been that with Clark focusing on Lois' safety, he would not have been there to protect Jonathan. It also would have worked with the Father's Day theme.

My guess is that someone at DC said "EH, eh" to that, and Meltzer had to come up with another father quickly to save the story.

They couldn't kill Oliver again, and Tim was already in the story, so no problem...easy fix.

WRONG!

I've already gone on about Tim in an earlier post, so I won't repeat it here.

But think about this:

1) Clark would have been devastated at the loss of the only father he's ever known (and technically the second father he's lost).

2) Clark would have certainly thought twice about putting Lois in danger, and maybe even considered divorce.

3) Bruce would have ABSOLUTELY been there for Clark, and have the same drive and determination to find the killer he has with Jack being the victim.

4) Jonathan's death would have had a huge impact on the rest of the JLA and the DCU. While it might have lessened the tragedy of Sue's death, consider that Clark would have had to grieve as Clark - meaning very few people would know that Superman was affected by the death of an old Kansas farmer, whereas Ralph could grieve openly.

5) Many villains would wonder why Jonathan was targeted in the first place, thus putting Clark's identity in jeopardy.

and 6) It's already been done in the movies and on television.

Switching Jonathan for Jack would not have changed the overall story, and would certainly have opened up lots of potential future stories.

Besides...they could always bring Jonathan back if they had to.

Holidays are over...or are they?

What's the deal with retail at Christmas time?

Where I work, there are two seasons of crazy: Summer, and Christmas. The difference between them (aside from the obvious temperature and musical ones) is that the stress comes from different sources: without and within.

Put simply - Summer is when we get busy because our customer base increases from all the out-of-towners who come up/over/down from places unknown with nothing better to do than clog up the roads, pollute the nearby lakes and trash our store while waiting for either the movie to start...or the rain to end.

Christmas is when we get busy because suits behind desks decide on their own how we should run our store with the expectation that customers are going to be out and about buying crap for themselves or their loved ones that nobody's going to want to wear/use/need after the second week of January.

I loved Christmas as a kid, as a young adult, as a college student and as a parent. For different reasons of course, but the general feeling of good will towards all seemed pretty tangible...

...then I got immersed in retail.

Where's the good will when someone complains about an open box of perfume...which was opened because someone wanted to know what it smells like?

Or when someone lets their child(ren) loose in the store opening toys and breaking things they have no intention of buying?

Or when people leave opened containers of snacks/chocolate all over the place because they were hungry & couldn't be bothered to at least pay for it first?

Or when we get truck after truck of stuff that suits think people will buy?

Or when stores push their associates and managers to the brink of quitting on a daily basis?

I still believe in the spirit of the holidays, but I also believe in:

1) getting more than 4 hours of sleep every night
2) spending more than 2 hours every 24 with my family
3) having the opportunity to venture out into the world as a consumer
4) completing things necessary in life - like grocery shopping, laundry, dishes, blogs

I will get back to reviewing comics again - because I want to.

But right now...I have to go to work.